Hands-On: Nvidia's new GeForce GTX 10 mobile GPUs are as powerful as its desktop counterparts

[Steve]

Last week we were in Bangkok to attend Nvidia's special media event. The product to be unveiled was unknown so I was intrigued to say the least. Having just announced the Pascal Titan X we suspected a GTX 1080 Ti card might follow. So was it a brand new high-end gaming GPU? A boring but uber-capable server GPU? Mobile, mobile was overdue.

We were pleased to find some familiar faces.

On display were the GeForce GTX 1080, 1070 and 1060. The very same GeForce 10 Series GPUs released in the past three months, with a twist. These revisions were designed for mobile gaming, a.k.a. gaming laptops.

Read the complete article.

 

[Puiu]

That part where they compare the growth of the laptop market with the console market is not really true since it doesn't take into account the new consoles which are set to launch this year and next year.

 

[Steve]

That part where they compare the growth of the laptop market with the console market is not really true since it doesn't take into account the new consoles which are set to launch this year and next year.

I don't think it was a meaningful comparison anyway. The point being gaming laptops are on the rise. Personally this time last year I wouldn't have even entertained the idea of using a gaming laptop, having seen the GTX 1060 models I am slowly coming around.

 

[Docnoq]

Is there any update on the release date for these laptops with 10 series GPUs?

 

[Steve]

Is there any update on the release date for these laptops with 10 series GPUs?

Now mate, this was the official launch event.

GTX 1070
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834234292

Here is a $1600 GTX 1060 model...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154289

 

[Puiu]

I don't think it was a meaningful comparison anyway. The point being gaming laptops are on the rise. Personally this time last year I wouldn't have even entertained the idea of using a gaming laptop, having seen the GTX 1060 models I am slowly coming around.

yeah the 1060 looks really good for 1080p gaming. the 1070/1080 look like they would overheat easily (based on how I use my laptop).

 

[BlueDrake]

It's really impressive to see desktop performance in a mobile package, even if it's got some performance constraints. It's surprising given it was.. 4-5 years ago, I was looking at "gaming" laptops and how much the performance was next to a desktop. Which was my biggest personal issue, because it just felt like it wasn't enough power for everything.

Now it's becoming parity with the desktop, even late Maxwell laptops had some impressive performance. Obviously with a huge sticker price to boot, but it's going to bring more PC gaming all over without the constraints of a larger rig. I'm honestly curious if that gaming laptop market piece is true, but I wouldn't be surprised. As console saturation is happening, and not everyone wants to buy the "refreshed" models obviously. Waiting for the upcoming replacements, both camps shooting themselves in the foot for that one kinda.

I await the reviews of said hardware, curious to see what can be had in a small package.

 

[Docnoq]

Geez, I was hoping for around $1k price tag on the 1060 laptops. Hopefully they come down a bit once other manufacturers release their versions.

 

[Uncle Al]

Is it just me or has Dell extremely limited how much you can customize their laptops? You used to be able to customize every selection but from what I've seen now, hardly anything other than paying more money for their protection services ..... what a shame, I used to use them exclusively for my business but now I'm looking around again .....

 

[amstech]

It's really impressive to see desktop performance in a mobile package, even if it's got some performance constraints. It's surprising given it was.. 4-5 years ago, I was looking at "gaming" laptops and how much the performance was next to a desktop. Which was my biggest personal issue, because it just felt like it wasn't enough power for everything..

This is true.
A top of the line gaming laptop with good GPU power could be had but with all the obvious compromises... size, weight, price, heat and power consumption. I opted to compromise less when I got my XPS L702X ($1100, got it for $800 shipped with coupons, old as heck now but a good example for this topic), its not the most powerful thing but the i5-2430M and 144 Cuda Core GT550M game well at 900p/720p, mid to high settings/No AA/AF or low, and it only uses the Nvidia GPU when gaming, the onboard Intel HD Graphics does everything else. Again, not a powerhouse, but a good compromise for performance, price and efficiency. I didn't care to max out games on my laptop, just to run them at mid-high settings.

Now, finally, dies have shrunk enough and efficiency is catching up to power.
I also agree the GTX 1060M or mobile version will be quite popular.

 

[DJMIKE25]

This is what I have been excited for. Small Die's have finally allowed us the mobile performance we would like. I can't wait to pick up one of these.

 

[enemys]

So... Full-fledged GTX 1060 is available in notebook form? That's a card with 100-120W TDP. At least equal to GTX 980M. How many slim, compact notebooks with 100W GPUs are there? And how many of them don't have any problems with waste heat? It's great to see desktop cards in smaller factor, but it's just the high end, high power (and big size) part of the market. I'm waiting for smaller mobile cards - successors to GTX 950M, 960M (and AMD counterparts - with Polaris 11 they might finally have something to show). Those with TDP in 30 to 70W range, that can fit into a 14-15 inch laptops without special issues.

 

[slamscaper]

Pascal's mobile performance is beyond impressive considering the chips aren't even cut down compared to the desktop parts. I think it's great because this just means more people will get into PC gaming and therefore we'll get better ports and maybe even some more exclusives that can really take advantage of the PC.

I myself still couldn't imagine going to a laptop for all my gaming needs. The thing I love most about building a desktop is the customization and upgrades you can perform. On a laptop the upgrades are ALWAYS limited and modding isn't really possible. If you're the type that just wants to game and don't care about any of that stuff, you could get away with a laptop for all your needs, including gaming.

 

[Squid Surprise]

What saddens me is Alienware (AKA Dell) doesn't seem to want to be on the cutting edge with their laptops any more when it comes to gaming.... The old XPS m17 series (and then their successors from Alienware) used to pride themselves on being desktop replacements with all the current hardware...

Now the 18 has been discontinued and it looks like the new crown will be Asus' ridiculous liquid-cooled ROG GX800...

Would have liked to have seen Dell/Alenware offer an 18" laptop with dual 1080s as well.... guess not

 

[MarkHughes]

What saddens me is Alienware (AKA Dell) doesn't seem to want to be on the cutting edge with their laptops any more when it comes to gaming.... The old XPS m17 series (and then their successors from Alienware) used to pride themselves on being desktop replacements with all the current hardware...

Now the 18 has been discontinued and it looks like the new crown will be Asus' ridiculous liquid-cooled ROG GX800...

Would have liked to have seen Dell/Alenware offer an 18" laptop with dual 1080s as well.... guess not

Agreed, I prefer the small form factor now, I had an M1730 and went to the M11x Alienware which I love. I would really like to upgrade to something similar with a 10xx gpu in it. Maybe they will make a 13" one ? Hope so...

 

[Mexen]

The point being gaming laptops are on the rise. Personally this time last year I wouldn't have even entertained the idea of using a gaming laptop

Yup, I agree with this. Same here. Before last year, my laptop was strictly for programming. Now I have Steam on it and fire it up every so often. This coming from a traditionalist console gamer means more than I ever put in words.